Maj. Ryan Burke scans the nearly empty shelves at the Fort Carson Commissary in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Tuesday, as news came of the government shutdown.

Written by

Jerry W. Taylor

The House of Representatives has resorted to the "nuclear option" in shutting down the federal government in pursuit of a quixotic ideological crusade to stop the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Unlike the other attempts to derail their self-created bogeyman "Obamacare," this attempt will be both unsuccessful and harmful to the nation.

The insurance exchanges have rolled out, and Americans are signing up by the millions. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are suffering the consequences of the government shutdown.

Our elected representatives must put aside party allegiance, examine ...